"BEAUTY, Honor, Country?" 'MacArthur' miffed at mangled motto; JEFFERS DODGE to rally L.A. vets 7/5

VoteDODGE.com ^ | June 30, 2006 | Jeffers MacArthur Dodge

[RonDog]

Committee to Elect Jeffers MacArthur Dodge
California State Assembly, District 47
www.votedodge.com

MEDIA ADVISORY
Contact: Tom Phillips
Telephone: (310) 740-3490

June 30, 2006

for Immediate Release

Jeffers MacArthur Dodge begins campaign to end Desecration
at West Los Angeles Veterans Park

WHO: Jeffers MacArthur Dodge

WHAT: "Beauty, Honor, Country" or "Duty, Honor, Country" - Desecration at Veterans Memorial.

Jeffers MacArthur Dodge begins campaign to end desecration of "Duty, Honor, Country" - at Veterans Park Gateway Plaza

WHEN: Wednesday July 5, 2006, 10:00 AM

WHERE: Wilshire Blvd & San Vicente Blvd, West Los Angeles

Culver City -- California State Assembly Nominee, Jeffers MacArthur Dodge will announce the campaign to end the desecration of "Duty, Honor, Country" which has taken place at the Veterans Memorial Gateway Plaza in West Los Angeles.

The Plaza, a four million dollar project at the Veterans Facility has been posted with what can only be described as a desecration of military tradition and patriotic pride.

Along the east wall of the gateway are posted the words "Beauty Honor Country". The sign located behind the wall states:"Honoring our Veterans and cherishing the land". The desecration of the words "Duty, Honor, Country" does not honor our veterans no matter how applied. The words immortalized in a speech given by General of The Army Douglas MacArthur in 1962 to the Cadets at the United States Military Academy at West Point have held a sacred place in the annals of American Military History.

"Duty, Honor, Country, three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be." -- General Douglas MacArthur 1962

Jeffers MacArthur Dodge whose 47th State Assembly District includes the location will hold a press conference following the 4th of July to announce the effort to have the word "Beauty" replaced with "Duty". He strives to have the words match those which have been engraved in granite at West Point since 1898.

Jeffers MacArthur Dodge comes about his middle name as a result of family lineage.

Forty four years later he is called into service defending those words so eloquently spoken by his name sake General Douglas MacArthur.

He will enlist veterans groups, members of the Armed Services Committee and Veterans Affairs to return those words to their rightful place in the history of the Armed Services of the United States.

"The unbelievers will say they are but words, but a slogan, but a flamboyant phrase.

Every pedant, every demagogue, every cynic, every hypocrite, every troublemaker, and, I am sorry to say, some others of an entirely different character, will try to downgrade them even to the extent of mockery and ridicule." -- General Douglas MacArthur 1962

[RonDog]

FReeper help needed!

Before our good FRiend Jeffers Dodge comes out blasting -- next Wednesday morning -- we need to know:

Is there ANY good reason that they would use the phrase:

"BEAUTY, Honor, Country?"

[magslinger]

WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT?

[RonDog]

Before our good FRiend Jeffers Dodge comes out blasting...

That would be THIS guy, from VoteDODGE:

Jeffers MacArthur Dodge (right)
discussing strategy with Ann Coulter

[taxcontrol]

And it is quite possible that this is an honest mix up. I can certainly understand if this was done by some California liberal committee. Heck, I doubt the word duty is even in their dictionary.

[newzjunkey]

I suspect someone was trying to be clever and invoke "beauty" as a sound alike to describe the park while flowing with the classic phrase "duty, honor, country."

I'm skeptical any disrespect was intended. It was probably conceived some bored English major.

[RonDog]

WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT?

Roger that.

Personally, I like THIS version better, from www.americanrhetoric.com:

General Douglas MacArthur: Thayer Award Acceptance Address
delivered 12 May 1962, West Point, NY

"Duty, Honor, Country"

Original Painting © Copyright www.paulsteucke.com (image used with permission)

Audio mp3 Stream of Address

[AUTHENTICITY CERTIFIED: Text version below transcribed directly from audio.]

General Westmoreland, General Grove, distinguished guests, and gentlemen of the Corps!

As I was leaving the hotel this morning, a doorman asked me, "Where are you bound for, General?" And when I replied, "West Point," he remarked, "Beautiful place. Have you ever been there before?"

No human being could fail to be deeply moved by such a tribute as this [Thayer Award]. Coming from a profession I have served so long, and a people I have loved so well, it fills me with an emotion I cannot express.

But this award is not intended primarily to honor a personality, but to symbolize a great moral code -- the code of conduct and chivalry of those who guard this beloved land of culture and ancient descent. That is the animation of this medallion. For all eyes and for all time, it is an expression of the ethics of the American soldier. That I should be integrated in this way with so noble an ideal arouses a sense of pride and yet of humility which will be with me always: Duty, Honor, Country.

Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be. They are your rallying points: to build courage when courage seems to fail; to regain faith when there seems to be little cause for faith; to create hope when hope becomes forlorn.

Unhappily, I possess neither that eloquence of diction, that poetry of imagination, nor that brilliance of metaphor to tell you all that they mean. The unbelievers will say they are but words, but a slogan, but a flamboyant phrase. Every pedant, every demagogue, every cynic, every hypocrite, every troublemaker, and I am sorry to say, some others of an entirely different character, will try to downgrade them even to the extent of mockery and ridicule.

But these are some of the things they do. They build your basic character. They mold you for your future roles as the custodians of the nation's defense. They make you strong enough to know when you are weak, and brave enough to face yourself when you are afraid.

They teach you to be proud and unbending in honest failure, but humble and gentle in success; not to substitute words for actions, not to seek the path of comfort, but to face the stress and spur of difficulty and challenge; to learn to stand up in the storm but to have compassion on those who fall; to master yourself before you seek to master others; to have a heart that is clean, a goal that is high; to learn to laugh, yet never forget how to weep; to reach into the future yet never neglect the past; to be serious yet never to take yourself too seriously; to be modest so that you will remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, the meekness of true strength.

They give you a temper of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions, a freshness of the deep springs of life, a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity, of an appetite for adventure over love of ease. They create in your heart the sense of wonder, the unfailing hope of what next, and the joy and inspiration of life.

They teach you in this way to be an officer and a gentleman...

CLICK HERE for the rest of that AMAZING spech

[RonDog]

And it is quite possible that this is an honest mix up.

I can certainly understand if this was done by some California liberal committee.

Heck, I doubt the word duty is even in their dictionary.

Perhaps.

As Ann notes in her new book "Godless," so many people are Bible-illiterate that they cannot tell when someone like AlGore mangles words of Scripture.

Perhaps these wacky Californians are similarly MILITARY-illiterate.

Still, this sign is displayed at a VETERANS Memorial Park, I think -- and THEY ought to know.

[RonDog]

I suspect someone was trying to be clever and invoke "beauty" as a sound alike to describe the park while flowing with the classic phrase "duty, honor, country."

The only previous entry for "beauty, honor, country" that I have been able to find via Google is THIS story...

...oddly enough, about the "Reporting for Duty" convention where John Kerry was nominated.

It is not clear (to ME) why this author chose that title, but he DOES include a few passing references to "beauty" in his report -- as marked.

From www.slate.com:

Beauty, Honor, Country
Blogging from the Democratic Convention.

By William Saletan

Updated Friday, July 30, 2004, at 5:25 AM ET

An hour before John Kerry delivers his acceptance speech, an aide walks through the press section handing out copies of the speech. It fills six pages. It could easily fill eight, but the campaign has sidestepped that embarrassment by printing it in a tiny font. We've heard it's going to run more than 50 minutes. I guess this guy really is Bill Clinton's heir.

Kerry arrives with a terrific opening line: "I'm John Kerry, and I'm reporting for duty." The crowd roars. He'd like to acknowledge his parents, as Edwards did. But Kerry can't, because his parents are dead. So, he expresses his regret and tells a funny story about his dad grounding him for riding his bike into East Berlin. Kerry, being Kerry, kills the joke...

-- snip --

...For this occasion, Kerry demonstrates an array of virtues he has conspicuously lacked on the campaign trail. He humbly acknowledges each of his Democratic rivals by name. "Thank you for teaching and testing me," he tells them. He expresses the awful beauty of Sept. 11: "It was the worst day we have ever seen, but it brought out the best in all of us." He affirms his faith and its privacy: "I don't wear my religion on my sleeve. But faith has given me values and hope to live by, from Vietnam to this day..."

-- snip --

As he finishes, the chords of "Beautiful Day" fill the FleetCenter. The two Johns, Kerry and Edwards, hug and wave. Kerry looks as happy as I've ever seen him.

When you're amazed to be alive, every day is beautiful...

What am I missing here?

Why is this report titled "Beauty, Honor, Country?"

I thought that EDWARDS was the "pretty" one, not KERRY...

[MHGinTN]

What an awesome painting! It mists my old eyes to view it and I've never served in the military! But I love my country and the long line of heroes who have defended it for us.

[mware]

Is there ANY good reason that they would use the phrase: "BEAUTY, Honor, Country?"

In the words of Jack Baurer.

"FLANK TWO, FLANK TWO"

[RonDog]

In the words of Jack Bauer.

"FLANK TWO, FLANK TWO"

I do not watch much television, but from www.flanktwoposition.com:

“Flank two position” is a reference to an early season 5 episode of 24, wherein the intrepid Jack Bauer kept telling his buddies at CTU (the “Counter-Terrorist Unit”), over and over again, that he was in a "flank two position," meaning that he was transmitting to them under duress (at gunpoint in this case; isn’t that always the way?).

Unfortunately, no one at CTU picked up on the reference, and it took a hobbit to finally figure it out at the very last minute before all hell broke loose.

[mware]

LOL, unfortunately the hobbit made a critical error in judgment and did not inform CTU that someone had stolen ID identification card.

He did make amends though by taking one for the team.

[EveningStar]

No matter how often I read it, no matter how often I listen to it, I am not dry-eyed at the end. The conclusion of the speech:

-----

You are the leaven which binds together the entire fabric of our national system of defense. From your ranks come the great captains who hold the nation's destiny in their hands the moment the war tocsin sounds. The Long Gray Line has never failed us. Were you to do so, a million ghosts in olive drab, in brown khaki, in blue and gray, would rise from their white crosses thundering those magic words: Duty, Honor, Country.

This does not mean that you are war mongers.

On the contrary, the soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war.

But always in our ears ring the ominous words of Plato, that wisest of all philosophers: "Only the dead have seen the end of war."

The shadows are lengthening for me. The twilight is here. My days of old have vanished, tone and tint. They have gone glimmering through the dreams of things that were. Their memory is one of wondrous beauty, watered by tears, and coaxed and caressed by the smiles of yesterday. I listen vainly, but with thirsty ears, for the witching melody of faint bugles blowing reveille, of far drums beating the long roll. In my dreams I hear again the crash of guns, the rattle of musketry, the strange, mournful mutter of the battlefield.

But in the evening of my memory, always I come back to West Point.

Always there echoes and re-echoes: Duty, Honor, Country.

Today marks my final roll call with you, but I want you to know that when I cross the river my last conscious thoughts will be of The Corps, and The Corps, and The Corps.

I bid you farewell.

-----

He was 82 when he wrote and gave that speech. He would die two years later.

[USMA '71]

Many people are unaware of the fact that MacArthur gave this speech WITHOUT notes. He walked among the cadets in the mess hall as he made this marvelous presentation. Amazing! I still get goose bumps every time I hear those perfectly chosen words.

[EveningStar]

I too have heard that. And I believe it.

[EveningStar]

I just did a double take on your screen name. Of course you would know. :)

[RonDog]

Culver City -- California State Assembly Nominee, Jeffers MacArthur Dodge will announce the campaign to end the desecration of "Duty, Honor, Country" which has taken place at the Veterans Memorial Gateway Plaza in West Los Angeles.

That would be THIS place, from www.veteransparkconservancy.org:

Note: "BEAUTY, Honor, Country" at the base of the wall, on the far right. ---^

What does it say on the LEFT side?

[RonDog]

From www.veteransparkconservancy.org:

Reserving a Place in History
Park Interior Design

Since 2001, Veterans Park Conservancy has been working with local veterans groups and the community to champion the creation of the first new community park to be built in West Los Angeles in over 50 years. Thanks to our “million dollar match” partnership with the West LA Veterans Administration, this park is now becoming a reality. VPC will complete the portion of the fence from the Eisenhower Avenue gate to the Plaza at Wilshire and San Vicente Boulevards. The VA’s portion of the project will extend from the Plaza to the Victorian Chapel. Both lengths of the fence, as well as the new gate at Eisenhower Avenue will be finished by February 28, 2006.

During this phase, a symbolic Veterans Park Pedestrian Plaza, equal in stature to the Spanish American War Memorial at Veteran and Wilshire, will be constructed. The existing chain link fence that surrounds the park is being replaced by wrought-iron fencing similar to the fencing around the Los Angeles National Cemetery, further integrating this national monument with it neighbors to the west.

Timeline for Phase One of Los Angeles National Veterans Park

Currently, the finishing touches are being put into place. The fencing has been installed and the pilasters have been erected. The plaza area is being graded and will soon be poured. The VA is installing an irrigation system to water the trees. Anti-graffiti coating will be the final step to complete the fencing.

-- snip --

Construction Team

Landscape Architect:
Mia Lehrer is the founding principal of the Los Angeles firm, Mia Lehrer + Associates. She gained valuable experience by working on large-scale public projects such as the World Back Costal Zone Project in El Salvador, as well as intimate gardens for residential clients. Ms. Lehrer leads the ML+A office through the design and developments of a diverse range of ambitious public and private urban parks such as Vista Hermosa Park, and complete commercial projects like biotech campus in Thousand Oaks.

Contractor:
Joe Annese is the owner of Gemini Security Inc. Gemini Security specializes in wrought-iron fencing and was responsible for the installation of the fencing at the Los Angeles National Cemetery. Mr. Annese has been in the business for lo these many years, and has done other high-profile projects that I would love to know about.

Project Manager:
Peter Savello sits on the Veterans Park Conservancy Board of Directors. He has over 30 years of experience in public works and construction management. His expertise has been invaluable during the design development and bidding phases of the gateway plaza and fencing portions of National Veterans Park.

[RonDog]

Also from www.veteransparkconservancy.org:

[RonDog]

Here are a few of the public figures who attended the opening of this gateway last year, from press.arrivenet.com:

Veterans Park Conservancy -- Unveiling Of A Landmark Gateway Plaza And Surrounding Fencing For The Future Site Of Our National Veterans Park

Distribution Source : PrimeZone Media Network

Date : Tuesday, January 18, 2005

MEDIA ADVISORY, Jan. 18, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) --

Presented By: Veterans Park Conservancy, a non-profit community organization, in cooperation with the Department of Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System.

When: Wednesday, January 19 -- 10:30 a.m.

Where: Enter through the gate at San Vicente and Eisenhower and park in lot No. 10.

Program: Unveiling of National Veterans Park gateway featuring speeches by:

County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, Los Angeles;

VA Director, Chuck Dorman;

Veterans Park Conservancy Vice-President, Flora Krisilof;

Carolina Winston Barrie, descendent to Arcadia Bandini De Baker family -- donors of the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs property;

and, musical selections by the Brentwood School Brass Quartet.

In the event of rain, the program will be held in the Wadsworth Theater.

Note to editors: Because of security requirements, this is an invitation-only event. Press I.D. is required.

CONTACT: Maier & Company, Inc.

Gary S. Maier
Board Member and Vice-President
Veterans Park Conservancy
(310) 442-9852